Why Plato thinks Philosophers should be Kings Essay Example for Free

Why Plato thinks Philosophers should be Kings Essay Platos strategy in the Republic is to explicate the primary notion of societal or political justice and then parallel it to the concept of individual justice. Before he can prove that justice is a good thing, Plato must first state its definition, by showing justice in its perfect form in order to discover the true essence of it. Therefore, Socrates claims that the only way to have a perfect state is if the state has a perfect leader, thus he introduces the concept of the philosopher-king. Plato identifies political justice as harmony in a structured political body. An ideal state consists of three main classes of people: producers, auxiliaries, and the guardians (rulers); a state is just when relations between these three classes are right. Justice is a principle of specialization: a principle that requires that each person fulfils the societal role to which nature fitted him or her, and does not interfere in any other business. Socrates describes philosophers as those who love the sight of truth (475-e). He claims that what makes philosophers different from lovers of sights and sounds is that they apprehend the Forms. While lovers of sights and sounds love beautiful things, they are unable to see the nature of beauty itself. The Philosophers, on the other hand, believe that beauty exists and can see both it and the things it participates in. In order to back up this claim, that only philosophers can have knowledge, Socrates paints a metaphysical and epistemological picture. He divides the concept of knowledge into: what is, what is not and an intermediate between being and not being. This intermediate between knowledge and ignorance is what he defines as an opinion and casts it as a fallible power. Furthermore, knowledge is the strongest infallible power that is set over the being or what is. Given that only philosophers can have knowledge, Socrates emphasizes that they are clearly the ones best able to grasp what is good for the state, and so are in the best position to know how to run and govern it. Plato offers a more intuitive explanation for why the philosophers are virtuous. He idealizes them as being focused and determined because they are  fond of learning the function of the being, which does not wander between coming to be and decaying. At the end of Book IV, Plato argues that the nature of the state and the individual are the same. Furthermore, he promotes the notion that when the virtues of reason, passion, and desire act in perfect harmony the individual and consequently the state will become just. Though it is not directly stated, it is fair to make the allusion that Plato would have assumed the same for the Philosophers. Their desires also incline strongly for learning, therefore, weakening other pleasures of the soul. Their emotions and appetites no longer provide a strong impetus toward vice, making the Philosophers moderate in character. Courage also considered as an important characteristic, is defined as the power to preserve through everything its belief abo ut what things are to be feared (429-c). Since the Philosopher devotes his being to understanding the essence of universal truth, he does not consider individual human life as a priority, making him fearless of death. Even though, the Philosopher possesses all the needed virtues, Socrates fails to explain how such a special ruler will be able to relate with the common folk. A person of such immense talent would most likely be needed in other parts of the state as well, but according to Plato, he should be given the power to rule, erasing all possibilities of a Philosophers individual choice to devote his life to a different task. And while the Philosopher is portrayed as a perfect leader for the state nationally, there is no mention of why he would be so attached to the state or how international affairs would be handled. Lastly, one cant help but worry that despite having a philosophical nature and possessing all needed virtues, there is no guarantee that a philosopher would not become corrupted, as it is hard to be a good person in a bad society. Socrates explores the nature of the guardians further to describe the different types of corruption to which the philosophic nature is susceptible. Using the analogy of the seed (human soul) and its environment, Socrates argues that, in most cases, alien soil produces noxious weeds. Sophists and spurious educators are indicted in this corruption, for they create values outside and inferior to virtue. Socrates compares their morality, which derives from the masses they serve, to the understanding and rationalization of the tempers of a mighty strong beast. His analogy of the mighty beast criticizes the majority, or mass, notion of morality. What is the opinion of most men, in fact, of the world, is almost always not the opinion or should it be said, knowledge of the philosophers. The masses are neither wise, nor temperate, nor courageous; as a result, their desires do not reflect the good, because of their lack of strenuous education. And thus, because the true philosophers must hold to a minority truth or renounce their nature, they are condemned to persecution by the multitudes the very people that need them the most. Socrates seems to create a paradox: the city cannot do without philosophy, but it can also hardly tolerate it. Antagonism between the philosophic nature and the binding pressure of the multitudes ensures that a potentially great philosopher is lost or warped. No government exists in which he may utilize fully his innate and learned gifts. Often, says Socrates, the dejected philosopher seeks refuge in solitude, contrary to a previously made point that a true leader will want to lead not for power, but for fear that somebody less competent than themselves will rule. The fact that Philosophers would give up on lawlessness around them to do work quietly alone contradicts Platos description of a rightful leader. The problem of how to ease the clash between philosophers and the majority, making it possible for philosophers to assume their rightful position as rulers is, logically enough, the next topic. Erasing the state and the manners of men to achieve a clean surface on which to sketch the new plan is Socrates first, though seemingly impossible solution (the other is the philosophical education of kings). In summation, the relationship of the philosopher of the state is one of exploration and criticism. Only by balancing the traits of reason, passion, and desire will the individual being to understand notions of the greatest good. After this understanding has been reached, he or she must attempt to share these values with the citizens of the state. Unfortunately, the people whom this philosopher is trying to educate about the greatest good are too caught up with the trials of their own lives to comprehend a society in which justice is absolute. As the ultimate fate of Socrates demonstrates,  being a philosopher is not a simple task. Generally, people are uncomfortable with trading their freedom for a world in which justice is absolute. Since the masses are not entitled to the education of the guardians, a desire to be rich, powerful or famous will prevail over the values of the philosopher. His ideals, no matter how noble, will almost always fall upon deaf ears.

Manoeuvre Warfare And Its Applicability In Mountains History Essay

Manoeuvre Warfare And Its Applicability In Mountains History Essay 1. According to Richard Simpkin, there is normally a 50 year cycle in respect of radical changes in military equipment, force structure and doctrine. Historical evidence conclusively proves that there is a gestation period of 30 50 years before a radical thought process is fully accepted and adopted. This is because of the lengthening Research and development cycle, time lag in introduction and training with new equipment, and organisational inertia of armed forces leading to resistance to change. 2. If we take the thirties when Guderians mechanisation programmes were in full swing, as the effective apogee of a 50 year cycle we might now expect to be at the zenith of the next one. No wonder we find several of the advanced worlds major armed forces in a greater or lesser state of flux. On one hand technological changes in form of top attack systems, compound and reactive armour , rotary wing revolution , lethality of ground and air delivered precision guided munitions and advanced C3I systems are influencing warfare. On the other hand radical changes are taking place in military thought to switch over from Attrition Warfare to Manoeuvre Warfare. The shift away from attrition warfare was first thought about by Liddel Hart and Fuller in twenties. They gave prominence to manoeuvre employing mechanised forces. The Germans led by Guderian grasped these theories and put them into practice in the form of Blitzkreig. The Russians, concurrently with the Germans developed the Deep Operat ion Theory and seriously got down to further refinement of this concept with the help of technological advancements. Israel is a unique case where the Jewish army, recreated after 2000 years, adopted manoeuvre warfare at the onset without going through the agonies of bloodshed, stalemates and defeat through attrition warfare. The 1956, 67 and 73 Arab-Israeli wars now success models for manoeuvre warfare. Such is the inherent inertia of armed forces that it took the military reform movement in US to nearly a decade plus to convince them ti switch over to manoeuvre warfare in the form of Air Land Battle Doctrine which by their own admission was one of the major contributing factors for success in the Gulf War. 3. It is with deep regret that one has to say that the theory of war is not a subject of detailed study in our army leading to knee jerk approach to operational matters. At a time when all major armies are seriously debating and introducing manoeuvre warfare our understanding of the term is in theory only. 4. Today, we have a large standing army- larger than what the Germans had when they institutionalised Blitzkrieg. Technologically it is still shades below the the advanced countries, but when compared to our adversaries it is definitely more advanced. Our overall thinking is governed by attrition/positional warfare. We have not been able to institutionalise our concepts for employment of armed forces. In any future war, unless we have an institutionalised doctrine/concept for their employment, the immense potential of armed forces is unlikely to be fully exploited. 5. Indian army executed the most brilliant campaign based on manoeuvre warfare the Bangladesh War 1971 wherein Bangladesh was liberated at a relatively low cost and the Pakistan Army largely intact was defeated and 93.000 prisoners were captured. By manoeuvre in time and space, the enemy mind was paralysed into inaction. The Bangladesh campaign is taught in foreign countries as the most complete campaign based on manoeuvre warfare. Yet it is an irony that our Army is just loosely following manoeuvre, in both theory as well as practice, for decades now. 6. There is therefore a need to understand, institutionalise and apply the war fighting philosophy of manoeuvre warfare in the present times as it does not permit us a long battle  [2]  . The study focuses on the vital essentials of manoeuvre warfare and analysis how this approach can be satisfactorily applied in mountains and developed terrain in the Indian context. Manoeuvre Warfare 7. The art of achieving great victories at the least cost has been amply and repeatedly demonstrated in history. The single most pronounced factor recognisable in these campaigns and battles is the use of manoeuvre. Manoeuvre has been accepted as the most appropriate form of warfare as opposed to the more costly and rigid form of positional and attrition warfare as seen in First World War. In manoeuvre warfare, the goal is to incapacitate by systematic disruption and dislocation. The target is the coherence of the adversarys combat system, methods and plans. The hope is that a very selective action can have a cascading effect, an effect disproportionately greater than the degree of effort. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 8. The aim of the study is to examine the significance of manoeuvre warfare and to analyse its application in mountains and developed terrain in the Indian context. HYPOTHESIS 9. Manoeuvre warfare is a war fighting philosophy that seeks to shatter the enemys physical and psychological cohesion through a series of rapid and unexpected actions and can be successfully applied in any terrain or scenario from the tactical to the strategic level provided the basic tenets are adhered to. Thus, the concept can be equally and efficiently applied in mountains and developed terrain in the Indian context. JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY 10. The Indian Army Doctrine Section 20: Para 7.14 directs our focus on the intellectual understanding, institutionalisation and implementation of manoeuvre warfare and Directive command  [3]  . The challenge before the Indian Army is to apply this sub doctrine of war fighting and command. The doctrine for war fighting for the future must dwell on What is the swiftest and economically cheapest way to achieve a victory? What is the likely future battlefield scenario in which a war on the sub-continent will be fought? How can this doctrine be applied at the strategic, operational, and tactical level? 11. The answers could lie in the concept of manoeuvre warfare, which seeks to pit own strength against enemys weakness and break his will to fight. Successful application of manoeuvre warfare by Rommel in the North African Deserts in World War II, by Israelis in the 1967 Yom-Kippur war and more recently in Operation Desert Storm in the Gulf war, seems to point out that the Indian Army could consider experimenting with this doctrine. Also, the Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) today is about more than building new high-tech weapons, though that is certainly a part of it. Its also about new ways of thinking, new ways of fighting. Preparing for the future will require us to think differently and develop the kinds of forces and capabilities that can adapt quickly to new challenges and to unexpected circumstances  [4]  . The Gulf War is widely accepted as a transitional point to new kind of war. This new war was fought with precision weapons with minimal collateral damage and with vastly improved means of real-time information, surveillance and target acquisition. It was realised that destruction of the enemys means of command and control should be the prime canon of military doctrine. Thus, this kind of warfare, when fully developed would be knowledge based information age warfare characterised by manoeuvre rather than attrition warfare. Another reason due to which many armies have adopted or are considering adopting this style of warfare is due to pressing need to reduce the size of the army in the light of the rising costs of maintaining a large standing army. Manoeuvre warfare relies on speed and audacity rather than numerical superiority and thus meets the requirements of achieving victory with a leaner and smaller army. 12. In the light of the arguments given above the subject Manoeuvre Warfare and its Applicability in mountains and developed terrain has been chosen for the study. SCOPE OF THE STUDY 13. The research shall seek to study the essentials of manoeuvre warfare and its characteristics and to make it more meaningful the study will narrow down its focus on application of manoeuvre warfare in the developed terrain in Indian context. It will concentrate on the aspects needing attention in our thought process and the organisational and institutional changes necessary to facilitate this approach. The basic premise of the research is that manoeuvre warfare is a war fighting philosophy and can be successfully applied in any terrain or scenario from the tactical to strategic level provided the basic tenets are adhered to. ORGANISATION OF THE DISSERTATION 14. The dissertation has been divided into following chapters:- (a) Chapter I. Introduction. (b) Chapter II. Essential elements of Manoeuvre Warfare. (c) Chapter III. Institutionalising Manoeuver Warfare. (d) Chapter IV. Characteristics of Developed Terrain and Challenges in Application of Manoeuvre Warfare in Indian Context (e) Chapter V. Recommendations and Suggested Changes for Application of Manoeuvre Warfare in Developed Terrain. Higher Defence Organisation. Directive Style of Command. Training. Creating an Environment of Military Creativity. Changes at Strategic and Operational Level. Changes at Tactical Level. Application of Strike Corps. Information Dominance. (f) Chapter VI. Conclusion. CONCLUSION 15. The concept of manoeuvre warfare is as much a state of mind as it is a theory. It emphasizes the importance of seizing the initiative and maintaining the initiative. It is a style of warfare that encourages the degradation of the enemy through disorientation, disruption and dislocation and finally destruction of his tactical cohesion. It is a concept that is more psychological than physical. It is indirect rather than direct approach to conflict. Manoeuvre warfare has application across the entire spectrum of conflict from strategy to tactics. 16. Only the study of manoeuvre warfare as a theory will serve no purpose to professional soldier. The applicability of this concept, especially in developed terrain in the western sector, has been examined in this study. 17. Also, important institutional and organisational changes must follow and support doctrinal change, if new doctrine is to be fully realised in action. Manoeuvre warfare provides an excellent and economical method for successful execution of war fighting in futuristic battlefield scenario especially in developed terrain. We need to learn and understand its intricacies and implement its tenets in peace and war. We in the twentieth century have two thousand years of fighting experience behind us, and if we still must fight a war, we have no excuse for not fighting it well. TE Lawrence

Raisin in the Sun Essay: A Dream Deferred -- Raisin Sun essays

Dream Deferred in A Raisin in the Sun  Ã‚     Ã‚   "What happens to a dream deferred?" (l. 1) Langston Hughes asks in his 1959 poem "Dream Deferred." He suggests that it might "dry up like a raisin in the sun" (ll. 2-3) or "stink like rotten meat" (l. 6); however, at the end of the poem, Hughes offers another alternative by asking, "Or does it explode?" (l. 11). This is the view Lorraine Hansberry supports in her 1959 play A Raisin in the Sun. The drama opens with Walter reading, "Set off another bomb yesterday" (1831), from the front page of the morning newspaper; however, he is unaware that bombs will soon detonate inside his own house. These bombs are explosions of emotion caused by frustration among members of Walter's family who are unable to realize their dreams. Although they all have a common dream of having a better life, they must compete with each other for the insurance money from the untimely death of Walter's father. Walter wants to get rich quickly by investing the money in a liquor store, but his sister, Bene atha, would rather use it to finish medical school. Mama and Walter's wife, Ruth, both want to leave their worn house in the ghetto for a nicer one where Walter's son, Travis, can have his own bedroom and a yard in which to play. The dreams of these characters, however, are deferred for so long that frustration grows inside them and eventually bursts out. Each day Walter has to continue working as a servant, his internal frustration and anger build, and he eventually releases his anger against Beneatha, Ruth, and Mama. "Who the hell told you you had to be a doctor?" (1838) he demands of Beneatha. "If you so crazy 'bout messing 'round with sick people&emdash;then go be a nurse like other women&emdash;or just ... ... all-white neighborhood. The opposition of Mr. Lindner (who offers a substantial amount of money to buy the house from them) unites the family in their mutual goal, and Walter finally comes "into his manhood" (1896): he declines Lindner's money and declares, "we have decided to move into our house because my father&emdash;my father&emdash;he earned it for us brick by brick" (1894). When cooperation replaces competition, the family can finally realize its dreams. Works Cited Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. Literature and Its Writers: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Eds. Ann Charters and Samuel Charters. Boston: Bedford Books, 1997. 1829-96. Hughes, Langston. "Dream Deferred." Literature and Its Writers: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Eds. Ann Charters and Samuel Charters. Boston: Bedford Books, 1997. 1138.      

A Suffering God :: Essays Papers

A Suffering God Most people in this world have an idea of who or what God is. Whether they believe in God or not, they have certain conceptions that they use to define God. Traditionally, due in large part to classical theism, people define God mostly by His omnipotence. A lot of people have an image of God being an all-powerful ruler over the entire universe. These ideas come out of a mindset that affirms the greatest being must be the one with all the power. They imagine a being that is so far above the world, that He cannot be affected by what humans do. They want to continually affirm that He is completely unchanged, unmoving, and compassionless. To uphold this belief denies a good portion of Scripture as well as liturgical tradition within the church. For example, Hosea 11 describes God’s compassion and concern growing for the Israelites in a way that assumes God’s changing emotions (Inbody 145). This power-based concept of God essentially leads to some of the biggest problems in accepting faith. For example, if God is all-powerful, why does he allow evil to exist in the world? Furthermore, if God is all-powerful, then how can humans or any creatures have real freedom (Placher xiii)? It seems impossible to answer these questions by denying that evil and freedom exist. It can be clearly seen and argued that bad things occur in this world, just as every person can understand they have freedom when they act. Classical theism puts an extreme emphasis on God’s omnipotence and seems to make God responsible for the pain and suffering in the world. As a result, God ends up getting the blame for the mistakes found in His creation. It becomes necessary, then, to propose a scheme in which God is not so powerful that He is incapable of relating and in which He also remains God. The best way to do this is to change the way one perceives God. This does not mean people are forced to abandon the biblical witness of God, but instead to come up with a better way to understand the Bible’s language concerning God. Too often people, especially Christians, jump to conclusions in defining God in terms of power. They overlook one of the main themes of the Bible that is summed up in 1 John 4:8: God is love. Once people understand that love is the key characteristic of God’s nature, it becomes much easier to produce meaningful conceptions of God.

Karma And Reincarnation :: essays research papers

KARMA and REINCARNATION Navigate: Ashram| Gurudeva | Newspaper | Church | Temple | Resources | HHE | Himalayan Academy Home Page The twin beliefs of karma and reincarnation are among Hinduism's many jewels of knowledge. Others include dharma or our pattern of religious conduct, worshipful communion with God and Gods, the necessary guidance of the Sat Guru, and finally enlightenment through personal realization of our identity in and with God. So the strong-shouldered and keen-minded rishis knew and stated in the Vedas. And these are not mere assumptions of probing, brilliant minds. They are laws of the cosmos. As God's force of gravity shapes cosmic order, karma shapes experiential order. Our long sequence of lives is a tapestry of creating and resolving karmas-positive, negative and an amalgam of the two. During the succession of a soul's lives-through the mysteries of our higher chakras and God's and Guru's Grace-no karmic situation will arise that exceeds an individual's ability to resolve it in love and understanding. Many people are very curious about their past lives and expend great time, effort and money to explore them. Actually, this curious probing into past lives is unnecessary. Indeed it is a natural protection from reliving past trauma or becoming infatuated more with our past lives that our present life that the inner recesses of the muladhara memory chakra are not easily accessed. For, as we exist now is a sum total of all our past lives. In our present moment, our mind and body state is the cumulative result of the entire spectrum of our past lives. So, no matter how great the intellectual knowing of these two key principles, it is how we currently live that positively shapes karma and unfolds us spiritually. Knowing the laws, we are responsible to resolve blossoming karmas from past lives and create karma that, projected into the future, will advance, not hinder, us. Karma literally means "deed or act," but more broadly describes the principle of cause and effect. Simply stated, karma is the law of action and reaction which governs consciousness. In physics-the study of energy and matter-Sir Isaac Newton postulated that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Push against a wall. Its material is molecularly pushing back with a force exactly equal to yours. In metaphysics, karma is the law that states that every mental, emotional and physical act, no matter how insignificant, is projected out into the psychic mind substance and eventually returns to the individual with equal impact.

Focus Journal # 20, Sharon Olds, the Promise, 591

Focus Journal # 20, Sharon Olds, The promise, 591 May 2, 2012 I. Understanding: In this poem Sharon Olds wishes the reader to believe that when terminally ill a man should have say in whether he continues to suffer in pain while useless, or to keep living. II. Analyzing: In this poem Olds does a great job painting a visual picture in the readers mind. â€Å"We are also in our/bed, fitted naked closely/ along each other? half passed out/ after love, drifting back and/ forth across the border of consciousness, our/ bodies buoyant, clasped. These lines allow the reader to see how much the couple love each other, and the enjoyment they have together. The imagery in these lines is so amazingly written and described. The wife acknowledges the husbands fear that she will not kill him if he terminally ill. The narrator uses pathos while assuring her husband â€Å"I tell you you don’t/ know me if you think I will not/ kill you. † The impact of this line also shows just how much she loves her husband.The fact that the couple is â€Å"renewing our promise/ to kill each other† allows the reader to also feel great emotion towards the couple. The feeling of love and compassion is so great during this poem. III. Evaluating and Synthesizing: This poem had a very powerful emotional effect on me. I thought Olds did a beautiful job writing this poem. The argument Olds is arguing is so controversial and I respect her so much for writing this piece of literature. I honestly don’t know if I would ask my husband to kill me if I was terminally ill. That seems like a tough topic to think about.

Not Everything That Is Learned Is Contained in Books

Learning is a good way to improve intelligence of human being. There are a lot of sources which people can learn from, such as books, works, social environment, reading and so on. Among these sources, learning from book is an efficient way to get a lot of knowledge. However, not all things are included in books and it is just a source for knowledge. It is probable that books are an enormous source of knowledge for the people to study. There are different types of books, for example novels, journals, scientific books, sociology books, news, reports and so on. When the basic education or specific field of interest is needed to study, learning from books is an effective way to be efficient in it. Some books give people the experience of the writers. These books are valuable for the people because although they did meet with this experience, they will easily know about these experiences. Therefore, books are a good source of knowledge for the people. On the other, reading books is not a perfect way of studying since not everything that is learned is contained in books. There are unlimited amount of knowledge and experience that we have to learn in our real lives, and it is called life experience. Life experience can only be found in the real life and learning from books will only be knowledge. For example, if a person gets a serious disease, only this person will know how serious it is and others people will know only as knowledge. This person may also improve the maturity by thinking how life is impermanent. Therefore, not everything that is learned is contained in books. In conclusion, studying form books is only a part of learning. The perfect way of learning is to learn from books and from real life as well.